


Halos

by WannabeAlien



Category: Alice Isn't Dead (Podcast), Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Friendship, Nonbinary Character, Surreal, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Weird Plot Shit, jagged mountains, love in weird places, thick black forests, turbulent oceans, unsolved mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 20:00:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13015098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WannabeAlien/pseuds/WannabeAlien
Summary: Pain is just pain entering the body





	Halos

It was a shame no one would stop to pick up hitchhikers these days. They knew why, of course, they knew why, still didn’t mean it didn’t suck though. The dangers posed by picking up two teenage kids wandering the side of a dusty highway was high, but they were kind of desperate after the last ride turned out to be a creep. Danger on both sides they supposed. Teagan wiped the sweat off their forehead as Hunter leaned against a warning sign depicting a curving road. Despite the heat Hunter readjusted his beanie on his head and shadowed his eyes with a hand, peering out into the distance. The two were quiet for the moment until another truck passed without the driver even glancing at them. Teagan cursed, throwing down their backpack and pressing the heels of their hands into their eyes.

 

“This sucks.”

 

Hunter nodded in agreement and sighed, pushing off the sign and scuffing his shoe in the dirt.

 

“Start walking?”

 

Teagan frowned and picked up their backpack with a nod, trudging down the road in the blazing heat. By the time they made it a mile there was a truck slowing near them. Teagan threw out their thumb just in case the driver didn’t know they were meaning to grab a ride, but they both stumbled away as the truck pulled over. The two looked at each other uneasily, now that they had a ride they wondered if it’d be as bad as the last one. Hunter approached first, fixing his beanie again and stepping up to the window.

 

Inside was a woman.

 

Stereotypes aside Hunter released a breath of relief and smiled as charmingly as possible.

 

“Hey, can you give us a ride?”

 

She looked tired, slightly suspicious but willing to hear them out.

 

“Where you going?”

 

“However far you’re willing to take us.”

 

Hunter’s smile was strained now and Teagan idled nearby, hip cocked and eyes tired. The woman eyed them both for a moment before leaning over to push the door open.

 

“Get in.”

 

The two perked up immediately and scrambled into the front cab of the truck, Teagan feeling their legs stick to the seat and Hunter’s to his pants. The woman waited til they buckled up, staring endlessly at them in an unnerving way before they realized what she was waiting for. They both quickly buckled down and she drove off, dust trailing behind the large vehicle. 

 

“What are you running from?”

 

She asked after a few minutes of silence. Hunter was jerked from the light lull of sleep that was overcoming him, frowning at Teagan whose head was against the window fast asleep. 

 

“Nothin’ ”

 

He replied slowly. She snorted, shook her head and then barked out a short laugh.

 

“We’re all running from something kid. Why else would you be on a stretch of abandoned desert looking to hitch a ride with strangers? No one comes around these parts except killers and truck drivers.”

 

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

 

Hunter smiled though, reclined back again and stared out into the distance passing by so quickly. He honestly didn’t even know where they were.

 

“We’re chasing something. Not running from it.”

 

The woman fell silent, her eyes tight with something that Hunter didn’t want to name. They lapsed into silence as the day turned into night, colors bleeding into the sky like watercolors across a page. Hunter fell asleep as Teagan woke up, bleary-eyed and watching billboards pass by for entertainment. They’d tried to turn the radio on but the woman in the driver’s seat had gone tight-lipped and they’d stopped reaching for the little knob. Teagan’s shoulders felt heavy, as did their whole body, but what they really wanted was a shower and a nice place to sleep for once. Somewhere cozy and warm. Not scorching hot like the days they’d suffered through but filtered sunbeam warm. 

 

“What are you chasing?”

 

Teagan turned their head just slightly, pink hair brushing their chin. They worked their jaw for a moment, teeth grinding and grinding before they unclenched like they remembered being told to do so many times before. 

 

“I think you know what we’re chasing.”

 

“You’re gonna get hurt you know.”

 

“We’re prepared for the worst, we’ve made our peace.”

 

Teagan gazed out the window, at the night sky so bright with stars and the headlights so bright with artificial light. More silence. This ride was turning out to be worse than the last, with the tension slowly filling the air the more little snippets of conversation they all had with each other. 

 

“Stop.”

 

Teagan turned to the truck driver, watched the way her hands tightened on the wheel. There was a rumble in the back of the truck, like something moving among whatever cargo this lady had. Teagan nudged into Hunter with the next bump they hit, purposeful and calculating. Hunter woke with a slight start, squinting at Teagan with slight irritation.

 

“Stop what?”

 

“Stop. Just stop. You don’t want to do this.”

 

The rumbling got louder and it sounded like whatever was back there was fucking this lady’s shit up. Hunter perked up hearing the commotion and cast a worried glance to the back, as though he could see through the space blocking his vision. Teagan tucked their backpack closer to them, curled their lip and made ready to jump. Hunter tensed. There was a beat, a moment where the woman’s eyes met Teagan’s and there seemed to be something there, some kind of warning and a spark of fight that was dying. She was on her own journey, her own search, but she had lost her way a long time ago. Swimming in the darkness and asking for a hand to hold. The three sat in silence as the woman pulled into a dimly lit rest area, a tiny unpopulated thing about a million years old, and got out of the truck. Hunter and Teagan followed suit, watching her pace around the truck muttering to herself and glancing at the back. 

 

She didn’t open it.

 

She climbed back in and motioned for them to get back in, which they did after sharing a glance. Burning eyes closed and dreams came faded with age, slipping into drowsy numbness. 

 

They woke when both of them nearly slammed into the dashboard, seatbelts barely catching them as they locked in place. Teagan hissed and Hunter turned wide eyes to the woman, circles under her eyes and hyper-focused on something just outside. A billboard, black background, white text. 

 

What Are You Waiting For?

 

The woman shook almost out of her skin with the frequency that she vibrated before taking her foot off the brake and speeding back up. 

 

“I was looking too, once upon a time.”

 

Hunter seemed more interested than Teagan did, their gaze wandering while Hunter was fixated on the woman. The woman whose name they didn’t know, didn’t bother to ask, wouldn’t ask at this point. It wasn’t important, they could tell by the way she blinked at them. 

 

“I was looking, and now I Work.”

 

How she managed to make Work sound with a capital W was very interesting. She didn’t say anything else, but Hunter was persistent. 

 

“Why did you stop? Who made you stop?”

 

The noises in the back started up again, shuffling and shifting around like someone or something restless, painfully restless. The woman was quiet as they approached a sleepy little town just as the sun was breaching the horizon. They drove through and everything seemed perfectly normal. Little town, three gas stations, a carwash, a small hotel that was probably family owned and run. Teagan felt a chill run up their spine looking at the sleepy faces peering back. A teenage boy at the gas station leaning against his truck and filling up, the attendant at the carwash leaning against the wall. Something was off about this quaint little town. But there was a Wal-Mart, bright lights and nearly empty parking lot sitting in the direct middle of the town, almost like the town had been built around it and not the other way around. 

 

The woman drove right on through, stopping at the one traffic light in the town as it turned red. Another car passed them through their green light and Teagan couldn’t take their eyes off the driver, who’s neck turned at an almost unnatural angle as he watched them. Now more than ever Teagan frowned and wished to be back on their home turf, away from these unfamiliar strange towns and back to their own brand of strangeness. Hunter didn’t want to let up on the woman though, and turned his body so that he was angled towards her. Teagan could tell he was trying to be chill, but he was kind of failing with the way he vibrated just under the skin. Teagan placed a grounding hand in the middle of his back and he seemed to relax just a fraction, but it didn’t stop him. They hadn’t been intending to stop them, in fact, it seemed more encouragement. 

 

“Why did you stop?”

 

He pressed closer to the woman.

 

“Who made you stop?”

 

Her grip tightened on the steering wheel and she cursed suddenly, her face tight as she jerked the steering wheel. Once again Teagan and Hunter felt themselves jerking in their seat and they watched a woman dart across the road and look back at them. Teagan swore loudly and glared at the woman, running a hand through their hair. Hunter fixed his beanie, green hair sticking out at angles messily. 

 

“Is this a joke? You were watching the road!”

 

“Yes I know and she appeared out of thin air!”

 

Teagan sputtered for a moment but the woman readjusted and returned to the road, driving out of the small town. Teagan ground their teeth as the truck lumbered on. 

 

It felt like hours before they arrived in another town. No, not another town. The same town. The same town with the same people and the same Wal-Mart but now it was darker. The woman clutched the steering wheel, knuckles white, and they watched in muted horror as the same teen pumped gas, the same guy at the carwash leaned against the wall, the same guy drove by slowly staring. Watching. Then the same girl appeared out of nowhere in front of the truck and they swerved more easily this time, expecting it. They rode back out of town and Hunter leaned over Teagan to watch the town in the distance growing smaller and smaller.

 

“We gonna talk about that or no?”

 

No one said anything.

 

The third time they approached the town, Teagan released a sob. That weird feeling was back, swimming in the air. Teagan hunched in on themself, smushing themself against Hunter. Hunter was more curious though, but when he saw the people he covered his mouth and stared at the floor. 

 

They were missing their faces.

 

Like, it was there, or rather it looked like it should have been there. There was a head and a skull, but the skin was all gone. Muscle and bone exposed eyeballs lolling wildly and jaws open in a soundless shriek. The woman ran the red light, breaths coming out unevenly and harsh. Narrowly missed the old man whose car was now smoking, directly ran over the woman who ran out into the street. There was a sickening thudding as the tired went over her body and Teagan moaned pitifully. They were out again and this time they were going to stay out.

 

They never truly spoke about it, even when Hunter tried to steer the conversation in that direction. 

 

The woman was kind, very kind, and took them as far East as she could. They were done with the desert, had few leads that led to fewer truths and it was hot as balls there anyway. They got dropped off in some no-name town close to where she was supposed to drop off her haul, something something cereal pallets. Teagan sucked in some fresh Eastern air and smiled, truly smiled for the first time in a long while. 

 

“I hate the desert.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

Hunter frowned as the noises from before pounded in the back, like an angry and cornered animal ready to fuck shit up. The woman didn’t seem to notice, or if she did she didn’t give any indication that she did. Hesitation crossed Hunter’s face as Teagan checked their backpack, digging out a hoodie to cover them from the inevitable chill. Seasons were changing, leaves turning and drifting down to the ground. Hunter swallowed as one thud echoed loudly in his ears.

 

“So what’s in the back? Or uh, who.”

 

The woman’s face darkened. 

 

“You two be careful now, okay?”

 

Her voice was soft but insistent. Don’t ask again. Hunter nodded and wearily gazed at the sky as she pulled out of the rest area. Teagan frowned as something howled from nearby, in the direction of the truck. 

 

“I think we got out of that one pretty okay.”

 

Hunter wasn’t sure how “okay” they were, but he nodded anyway.

 

“She liked us enough not to kill us so…”

 

“I don’t wonder what was in the back, by the way. I don’t.”

 

Teagan crossed their arms, looking at Hunter. Hunter shrugged, he was always the more curious of the two. Curious or stupid, neither of them was sure which but hell. At least they were alive. They looked into the distance, into the sky, into the beyond and thereafter and here and now. The sun was setting in the sky, the moon rising, and the forests in the distance were a black and thick backdrop. 

 

“Well,”

 

Teagan pulled out their phone, the screen lighting dully as they pulled up their contacts. The battery ticked one percent down, 67% available as they pulled up the phone number.

 

“let’s call an Uber and get this over with.”


End file.
